Leadens Building Maintenance is pleased to announce that the transition to Microfiber Technology is now complete for all of our customers. This change is designed to enhance our existing services and continue to deliver exceptional quality and value to you.

The use of microfiber technology greatly reduces the potential for cross contamination. All of our microfiber cloths are color coded and designated to a particular task in the cleaning process.  For additional information on the benefits of microfiber technology in commercial cleaning, check out the article below.

How Microfiber Works:

In the last decade the popularity of microfiber cleaning products such as towels, mops, and dusters has grown abundantly. The reason for this popularity is simple, they’re extremely effective. Microfiber products clean with less cleaning product than traditional methods. 

First, let’s look at what microfiber is. Microfiber is defined as any fiber that is 1 denier or less (denier is a measurement of fineness equal to a unit of fiber weighing one gram for each 9000 meters). To put that into perspective, microfiber is 1/100th the diameter of a human hair and 1/20th the diameter of a strand of silk. There are approximately 200,000 fibers in one square inch of a microfiber towel. High quality microfiber used for cleaning is often 0.5 denier or smaller. That creates a lot of surface area in which to absorb liquid or hold dust and dirt.

In cleaning products, microfiber is a blend of polyester and polyamide (nylon). In higher quality cleaning textiles the fiber is split during the manufacturing process to produce spaces in each fiber. If you were to look at a cross section of split microfiber it would look like an asterisk. It’s the split fiber working in conjunction with the space between them that do the work. They hold the dust and dirt, and absorb liquid. Lower quality microfiber cleaning products may not be split (neither is microfiber clothing or furniture because you don’t want them to be absorbent).

For microfiber to be effective as a cleaning tool it has to be split microfiber. If microfiber isn’t split during manufacturing it isn’t much more than a very soft cloth, duster or mop. Microfiber that is used in clothing, furniture and other applications isn’t split because it isn’t designed to be absorbent, just soft. It’s important when buying microfiber cleaning tools to make sure that they’re split. When buying from a retail store if the packaging doesn’t say its split, don’t assume it is. One way to determine if the microfiber is split is to run the palm of your hand over it. If it grabs the imperfections on your skin then it’s split. Another way is to pour a small amount of water on a table and take a towel or mop and try to push the water. If the water is pushed it’s not split microfiber, if the water is absorbed or sucked into the fabric then it is split microfiber.

In addition to the open spaces in the fibers created during the splitting process, microfiber is an effective cleaning tool because the fibers are positively charged. Dirt and dust are negatively charged so they are attracted to microfiber like a magnet. The microfiber holds on to the dust and dirt until it’s released in the laundering process or rinsed out.

The attributes of split microfiber discussed above make it a true green cleaning product. Microfiber works extremely well as a cleaning tool without added chemicals. All of the edges on each fiber created during the splitting process act like squeegees scraping up the dust and dirt while the open spaces between the splits hold it. When water is added to the towel or duster it helps emulsify the dirt allowing it to be scrubbed off the surface being cleaned.

The advantages to using microfiber to clean are almost endless. Given the facts that they can last hundreds of washings when cared for properly. They can also absorb 7 times their weight in liquid, and are hypoallergenic. 

Source: Microfiber Wholesale